August 7, 2022 – Pentecost +9C

“[Jesus said:] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Luke 12:32-40

I was sitting at Dauphin County Prison the other day, and I was waiting for a room to open up inside the confines where attorneys and pastors are allowed to meet with inmates. If you have ever sat in the waiting are of DC prison, they you know that in this room there is a television high on a wall — and on it scrolls the faces and names of people wanted by Dauphin County police departments. It lists their crimes, and dates, and situations. And every so often another screen flashes which reminds you that there are rewards for tips and information that may lead to the arrest or apprehension of someone wanted by the police. The reward by Crime Stoppers is “Up to $2000”. Of course, it also reminds you that you are not supposed to try to apprehend someone yourself. I am sure there are would-be “bounty hunters” out there — but I am fine waiting for the reward to come in the mail.  

Now imagine if we needed to approach our reward in heaven the same as the Crime Stoppers website — we would need to turn in our neighbor for a particular sin thinking this might earn us some reward? Or, perhaps we might turn in one of our brethren from the congregation for questionable behavior?  

When we study the Gospel of Luke, we soon learn that it is the Gospel for the last, lost, least and little. It appears that Jesus is teaching his followers that it is difficult to be a follower and to have a lot of possessions. From last weeks’ lesson of the foolish farmer, to his instructions today, Jesus seems to be telling us something about possessions — that rather than being a sign of being blessed, too many possessions can be a hindrance to our relationship with G-d. Perhaps it is not the distractions that having a lot of stuff brings so much as the anxiety of wanting or having a lot of stuff. In other words, what we possess becomes the distraction — just as much as not having enough is a distraction. Those who do not have enough to get by in this world are anxious about not having enough….those who have an abundance of stuff are anxious about how they will protect and maintain their abundance.  

So, what if we stop looking at our stuff as things we have earned — and being to see them as reward — reward that is pure gift. After all, when you get right down to it, all that we have is gift, is reward from G-d — that we cannot truly possess. All that we have that truly matters, that is, is gift — for it is freely given to us. If we were able to see our truest treasures as pure gift, would that decrease our anxieties? 

Truth be told, we are a gathering of anxious people — many today are either slightly, overly, or anxious to the point it is debilitating. Anxiousness, fear, worry and depression can cause debilitating fatigue in the best of us — bringing on mood swings, bad behavior and bad coping mechanisms. But, truth be told life in this country and in this world is hard — and we have an epidemic of anxious, fearful, depressed and even angry people looking for some relief — and perhaps some reward.  

So what are we to do to find some relief — some hope — some peace and joy — you know, where are we to see glimpses of the Kingdom of G-d?  

Well, as I see it, we need to learn to let go of some stuff — because our human inclination is to grasp, gather, hoard and hold close our possessions, including our fears and anxieties. There are plenty of distractions and fears that weigh us down — and keep us from fully trusting G-d. As such, I would say that the first thing we need to do is learn to let go —- to unburden ourselves. Nothing we have will bring us our ultimate reward — nothing we do will earn us our ultimate reward — for our ultimate reward is true gift from G-d. You see, I think what Jesus was getting at is when we see our possessions as gift, when we free ourselves of the way possessions possess us, then we are truly free people. Then we are more willing to part with our resources because we did not earn them to begin with — everything is a gift from G-d.  

Pastor Dave

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. –1 Corinthians 2:12

“Serving God and others-what a heavy load, an awesome responsibility. Maybe it helps to remember that we have gifts to help with the serving-gifts given to us, in this case, by God. We can experience deep joy in using our gifts. But that would be only half the story if we didn’t help others and enrich their lives. Serving God and others through our gifts is an adventure.” Laurie Hanson. The Funny Shape of Faith: Devotions for the Rest of Us (Kindle Edition.)

Serving Others – A New Wrinkle That is Truly Unique

We can experience a lot of joy and peace when we share with others out of our abundance – but too many people see their lives as a place of “lack”, not as a place of abundance. Let’s break this down just a bit.

Imagine your life without the most important people who have impacted your living? Think of parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, mentors, siblings, aunts and uncles. Now think of the places where you lived – broken down, castle-like, sprawling and miniature places that formed your place in this large world. You may think to yourself: “I don’t have much”. And that might be true. You may have a limited amount of stuff and a pinched bank account. But you also have all of the experiences, the lessons, the love, the loss, the successes, the failures that also form the person you are today. Each experience, each failure, each accomplishment, each loss and each discovery is a gift – not just to you, but potentially to someone else.

Laurie Hanson writes: “We can experience deep joy in using our gifts. But that would be only half the story if we didn’t help others and enrich their lives. Serving God and others through our gifts is an adventure.”

What will it take for you to see your life as a place of abundance and not as a place of lacking?

Let us pray,

Lord of life, thank you for my gifts; all of my experiences and accomplishments — the good and the bad, the happy and sad. They are many-both those I have discovered and those I have yet to tap. Help me to honor you by growing these gifts and using them to help others in exciting, liberating ways. Amen.

Pastor Dave